The term Blockchain Trilemma was coined by Vitalik Buterin , a pioneer head for Etheruem blockchain and decentralized networks. Blockchain technology encountered this challenge as it wanted to be decentralized, scalable and secured without compromising any of these three vital features of any great networks. Lets explore these three features of blockchain and understand how blockchain faced this trilemma.
DECENTRALIZATION.
Blockchain should be decentralized in nature where there will be no censorship and centralized authority supervising the operation so as not to be regulated but users or nodes plays important roles on the network without its security of resources being compromised. The validation of large data should be consensually by the nodes or witnesses within the network at very high speed. In the place central board, there are consensus mechanism like Proof-of-Work, of of Stake, Proof of History etc. With this mechanism, for instance, PProof-of-Work, POW, which earliest networks like Bitcoin, Litcoin etc adopted, have several users with high computational power solve puzzles to verification and processing of data with rewards. These users are known as miners and their roles are vital in the network and governance too While in Proof-Of-Stake POS, The validators have huge stake weight to be able to verifying data as seen in etheruem etc. Which became more scalable and secure.
In centralized platform, there is a board of director whose offices supervise and control the operation of service of the platform. They decides and take risks on their service for the operation. With their policies, the operation and services on the platform are regulated and censored. They are custodian of the resources of the users on their networks.
Security
Blockchain technology are built upon [Cryptography](/@@leoglossary/leoglossary-cryptography] with hash functions and layers with promotes its security with strings of alphanumeric letters known as keys which is needed for signing and authorization on the platform. There are symmetric and asymmetric sets of keys on various forms which are immutable and machine form. Most prominent ones are Private keys and Public Keys which form the address and secure form for wallets and blockchain projects. Also, Blockchain networks have several projects and layers which promotes its security and protection.
SCALABILITY
In the First generations of Blockchain networks, The scalable prowess was very low as few transaction are verified per second. In bitcoin, seven transaction are verified per second and more improvement are recorded on recent year on those networks. Also, Developers of latest generations of blockchain networks like Solana have improves the scalability with greater forms of consensus mechanisms and approaches.
In Centralized platforms like Paypal, Visa etc handles huge transactions across its network globally. Their scalability is very high and one of their major advantage over blockchain networks.
Is Blockchain Trilemma really a problem?
The word "Trilemma" Stand for a situation where out of three attributes, one can't get them all. One or two of attributes must be compromised while achieving any attribute. Researchers are trying their best to develop a protocol that can incorporate these three attributes of decentralization, security and scalability of a good blockchain networks.
However, latest networks are built with enhanced layers of cryptographic function which improves their scalability in a decentralized mode. For instance, EOS and Solana boasts of great scalability prowess of +1000 transactions per second within a secured and decentralized medium but still can't be compared with centralized networks with great transaction speed but are regulated.
CONCLUSION
In centralized networks, the challenged of trilemma are won but their operations are regulated and supervised by board of directors and their users known via verification system like KYC means. Their privacy and identities are visible and can be compromised. Governmental agencies usually scooped into their networks and rules are enforced while in Blockchain networks, there is still the challenge of blockchain trilemma services are not purely decentralized, secure and scalable problem which the researchers keep promising.